Mercedes-Benz C 230 1998 Owner's Manual page 49

Unfastening of Seat Belts
Push the release button (3) in the
belt buckle (2).
Allow the retractor to com pletely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate (1).
Operation:
The inertia reel stops the belt from
unwinding during sudden vehicle
stops or when quickly pulling on
the belt.
The locking function of the reel
may be checked by quickly pulling
out the belt.
W arning!
USE SEAT B ELTS PR O PER LY.
• Each occupant should w ear
their seat belt at all tim es,
because seat belts help re­
duce the likelihood of and
potential severity of injuries
in accidents, including roll­
overs. "S R S " (driver airbag,
front passenger airbag, side
im pact airbags), "E T R " (seat
belt em ergency tensioning
retractors), and knee
bolsters are designed to
enhance the protection
offered to properly belted
occupants in certain frontal
im pacts which exceed pre­
set deploym ent thresholds.
• Im properly positioned seat
belts do not provide m axi­
mum protection and may
cause serious injuries in
case of an accident.
• Never w ear the shoulder belt
under your arm, against
your neck or off your shoul­
der. In a crash, your body
would m ove too far forw ard.
That would increase the
chance of head and neck
injuries. The belt w ould also
apply too m uch force to the
ribs or abdom en, which
could severely injure
internal organs such as your
liver o r spleen.
• Position the lap belt as low
as possible on you r hips
and not across the
abdom en. If the belt is
positioned across your
abdom en, it could cause
serious injuries in a crash.
• Each seat belt should never
be used for m ore than one
person at a tim e. Do not
fasten a seat belt around a
person and objects.
• Belts should not be worn
tw isted. In a crash, you
w o u ld n 't have the full width
of the belt to take im pact
forces. The tw isted belt
again st you r body could
cause injuries.
• Pregnant w om en should
also use a lap-shoulder belt.
T he lap belt portion should
be positioned as low as
possible on the hips to
avoid any possible pressure
on the abdom en.
47